I'm in NJ but quite a distance from Bridgewater. My daughter found one of her kitties at the Burlington County Animal Shelter and that is where I found my Ripley so I have quite a soft spot for them. There are a lot of pets that are in foster care at that shelter and I think that would be an excellent way to adopt a pet. The foster mom/dad can give lots of info about the pet and his/her likes, dislikes, traits, etc. My daughter got her other kitty at another NJ shelter but he was never on Petfinder. He was being fostered and the shelter put her in touch with his foster mom after she began e-mailing the shelter about what she was looking for in a kitty. He was a street kitty and has just become the most dear house cat you could ever want. The foster mom was exactly right about his super duper little personality.

The Burlington County Animal Shelter is in Mt. Holly and about 45 min. north of me. Bridgewater is maybe another 45 min. north of there (just guessing). I am sure there is a closer shelter, but I would definitely try and adopt a pet that is being fostered no matter where he goes.

Here is the website for the Burlington County Animal Alliance.
http://www.bcaaofnj.org/
Scroll down to see the foster pets. Hope that helps.